Perfect (Second Opportunities 2)

"Have you considered the sedative benefits of reorganizing the kitchen cabinets?" she teased, her shoulders lurching. "That always worked for me. We could do it together."

Zack opened his mouth to snap a retort, but the phone rang, so he jerked it up and took his frustration out on whoever was on the other end of the line. "What the hell do you want?"

Sally Morrison, his publicist in California said dryly, "Good evening, Zack. So nice to talk to you. I'm calling to talk to Julie. She needs to tell me now whether you want the wedding invitations delivered by limousine tomorrow morning or by courier. I've already phoned the lucky fifty people who are going to receive a coveted invitation, so they'll have time to make arrangements to be in Texas bright and early Saturday morning. No one declined. Betty and I," she added referring to his secretary, "have arranged for limos to meet them at DFW and get them to Keaton, and I've reserved blocks of suites for them on Saturday night in the Dallas hotels that met your approval."

Some of Zack's former annoyance faded. He waited until Julie walked into the dining room, then he lowered his voice and said, "Does she have any idea who's going to be here?"

"No, boss. In accordance with your instructions to surprise her, I told her to count on having fifty of your most boring business associates in attendance. Fifty-one, including me."

"What about the press?" Zack asked. "How are you keeping them out of our hair? They know I'm here, and they know I'm getting married Saturday. It's all over the network newscasts. I've only seen a couple reporters hanging around and they keep their distance. I figured they'd be swarming over us like locusts by now."

Sally hesitated for a pregnant moment. "Didn't Julie tell you how she decided to handle the press?"

"No."

"She allowed them all to be present for one hour. If you don't approve, I'm going to have a hell of a time trying to back out of our deal with them."

"What deal?" Zack demanded.

"Ask Julie after we hang up. Can I talk to her now?"

Zack held the phone out and looked over his shoulder. "Julie, Sally needs to talk to you."

"Be right there," she said. She walked in carrying the ever-present tablet she used to keep track of whatever details seemed to occupy women when a wedding was imminent, and he watched her pull off her right earring and tuck the phone between her shoulder and chin. "Hi,. Sally," she said with a pleasant softness that made Zack feel like an irascible, belligerent, selfish jerk who couldn't control his own sexual urges and manage to behave like a gentleman. "What's up?" She listened for a minute and then said, "I'll ask Zack."

She smiled at him, which made Zack feel worse, and said, "Sally still wants to know whether to have your invitations delivered to the California people by limousine tomorrow or whether to use a messenger service." She consulted her tablet. "Using limousines will cost four times as much."

"Limousines," Zack said.

"Limousines," Julie repeated into the phone.

When she hung up, Zack looked at her and all of his impatience turned to admiration. Despite the incredible pressure Julie was under, getting ready for their wedding at the end of the week, she never lost her cool. Rachel had spent months of time on their wedding and a quarter million dollars of Zack's money to create a three-ring media circus that required the efforts of two publicists and an army of servants, consultants, and assistants to pull off, and Rachel had been used to dealing with the pressures of public life. Even so, by the day of the wedding, Rachel had been behaving like a frantic virago for weeks and popping tranquilizers like M&Ms.

Julie had spent a week on their wedding with only the help of Katherine and the long-distance aid of Zack's competent California staff. At the same time, she had continued with her regular job and arranged to sublease her house, and she had neither lost her temper nor slighted Zack. Because the entire citizenry of Keaton had gone so far out of their way to make Zack feel comfortable and welcome and because Julie was so much a part of their town, the decision had been made to limit the guests at the afternoon wedding ceremony to family and close friends, but to invite all of the Mathisons' vast circle of friends and acquaintances to the evening reception, which was scheduled to take place in the park. The decision to invite 650 people instead of having a small, intimate reception had been made at Zack's urging. In the days that he had been here, he'd enjoyed more honest companionship with decent, down-to-earth people than he'd ever known in his entire life. Despite his complaints, he'd thoroughly enjoyed the simple things they'd done together while he was here. He'd liked dancing with her in a restaurant where friends of theirs joined them without ever intruding, he'd loved going to the movie in town with her, eating stale popcorn, necking in the back row, and then walking her home, holding her hand in the balmy night air. Last night, he'd played pool at the senior Cahills' house with Ted and his friends, while Julie, Katherine, and the other wives brought in food and cheered their men on, and then he'd watched in amazement as Julie took on the winner—and beat him.

Somehow she'd managed to do all that as well as make arrangements with a dozen local women to handle the catering for the reception, hire musicians, go over the music selections, order flowers from the local florist, and arrange for white canopies to be sent down from Dallas to be used in the park by the caterers. Zack, who'd listened to the arrangements periodically, had the amused hope that this second wedding reception of his would make up for the decorum and beauty it was probably going to lack with warmth and a festive atmosphere. If not, it had all the earmarks of becoming a ludicrously corny disaster. In which case, he devoutly hoped it would rain.

The only thing that had given Julie momentary pause was the question of a wedding gown and gowns for Katherine, Sara, and Meredith, who she'd decided should be her only three attendants. Meredith had volunteered the solution to that problem when Julie called to invite her to be in their wedding: She'd had pictures of all the wedding gowns and attendants gowns available from Bancroft & Company's exclusive bridal salon sent down by overnight mail for Julie to peruse. Julie had settled on three possibilities, which were picked up the next day in Chicago by the Farrells' pilot and flown to Keaton. Rachel had deliberated for weeks over the selection of a wedding gown; Julie, Katherine, and Sara deliberated for two hours, made their selection, and brought their gowns to the Eldridge twins to be altered to fit. Meredith, who was back in Chicago with Matt, was being fitted for hers there.